Members of Amnesty International (AI) Taiwan and other rights groups yesterday launched a letter-writing campaign, seeking a re-trial for death row inmate Chiu Ho-shun (邱和順), who was reportedly tortured by police into confessing to murder.
The campaign will start in Chiu’s hometown in Miaoli County with a call for members of the public to write letters and postcards to the relevant authorities on Chiu’s behalf, AI Taiwan member Wu Jia-zhen (吳佳臻) said.
People are also encouraged to write letters of support to Chiu, who was convicted in 1989 of abducting and murdering a child two years earlier, Wu said.
Chiu’s mother is expected to appear at the event to speak about her son, whose case has been through several appeals over the past 23 years, the rights groups said.
In July last year, the lengthy process ended with a decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the death sentence against Chiu.
Chiu’s case was selected by AI as part of its “Write For Rights” global campaign, held annually to mark Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, because of the controversy surrounding his conviction.
Documented videos and recordings have shown that Chiu and his alleged accomplices were tortured by police to extract confessions during their four months in detention, according to lawyers familiar with the case.
“There is great urgency in his case,” Wu said, adding that Chiu is the only death row inmate on the list of 12 people selected for the AI campaign this year.
The others include imprisoned Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng (高智晟); Azza Hilal Ahmad Suleiman, an Egyptian woman who was attacked by Egyptian soldiers at a protest last year; and imprisoned Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi.
“Chiu is on death row and could be executed at any time,” Wu said, comparing his case to that of Chiang Kuo-ching (江國慶), an Air Force serviceman who was wrongfully executed in 1997 for a murder he did not commit.
The campaign encourages the public to send letters, e-mails or text messages to support individuals around the world who are believed to be suffering human rights abuses.
There are 61 people on death row in Taiwan. In April 2010, the government ended a four-year moratorium on executions, carrying out four death sentences and another five in March last year.
The move drew criticism from the EU and human rights advocates.
Capital punishment remains a highly controversial issue, with about 80 percent of the public opposed to abolition, according to a survey released by the Ministry of Justice in 2010.
However, the survey also showed that 56 percent of the respondents would agree to life imprisonment without parole instead of a death sentence, while 43 percent would oppose such a change.
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
LEISURE: The new law adds Confucius’ birthday, the anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou, Constitution Day and Little New Year as national holidays The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed new legislation adding four national holidays and making Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party used their combined majority in the legislature to push the jointly proposed draft through its third and final reading. This new law supersedes the existing regulations for the implementation of memorial days and state holidays, which are administered by the Ministry of the Interior. The new law recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou on Oct. 25, Constitution Day on Dec. 25 and “Little New Year,”
RSS